anti-reductionist
|an-ti-re-duc-tion-ist|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.ti.rɪˈdʌk.ʃən.ɪst/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.ti.rɪˈdʌk.ʃ(ə)n.ɪst/
against simplifying complex systems
Etymology
'anti-reductionist' is formed from the prefix 'anti-' plus 'reductionist.' 'Anti-' originates from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against, opposite,' and 'reductionist' comes from 'reductionism' + the agent suffix '-ist.'
'reduction' ultimately derives from Latin 'reductio' (from 'reducere' meaning 'to lead back'); 'reductionism' developed in philosophical and scientific contexts in the 19th–20th centuries, and 'anti-' was attached to create 'anti-reductionist' as a descriptor and noun in the 20th century in response to debates over reductionist explanations.
Initially, the elements 'anti-' and 'reductionist' carried the straightforward senses 'against' and 'one who endorses reduction,' respectively; together they came to mean 'one who opposes reductionism' or 'characterized by opposition to reductionist explanations,' a usage that has remained stable in contemporary discourse.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who opposes reductionism or the view that complex systems can be fully explained by their simplest parts.
She was known as an anti-reductionist within the philosophy department.
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Antonyms
Adjective 1
opposed to reductionism; describing a theory, approach, or attitude that resists explaining phenomena solely by reference to their simplest components.
His anti-reductionist approach emphasized emergent properties.
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Last updated: 2025/11/19 03:45